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<title>we used to say “there’s nothing we can’t move past” by hopecanbeyoursword</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23980198">we used to say “there’s nothing we can’t move past”</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopecanbeyoursword/pseuds/hopecanbeyoursword'>hopecanbeyoursword</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>edge of the world [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Gen, Good Friend Ned Leeds, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), our favorite trio reunites, the snap still happened though, these three are family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:21:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,937</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23980198</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopecanbeyoursword/pseuds/hopecanbeyoursword</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They've been through a lot. The homecoming incident, the bullies, the lost decathlon competitions, and Spider-Man related events.</p><p>This. This, though, is something completely different. They're just thankful to have each other.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Michelle Jones &amp; Ned Leeds &amp; Peter Parker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>edge of the world [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1724527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>we used to say “there’s nothing we can’t move past”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Peter tried to squash down the nervous butterflies that had taken up residence in his stomach. He hiked his backpack further up his back, before curling his hands into the ends of his sleeves.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The hallways were loud, bustling with students and teachers and other employees. He could hear every one of the conversations. There were joyous reunions, and some sad exchanges. They were all figuring out who would be coming back.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He wasn’t focused on that, though. He didn’t need other people’s conversations overwhelming him. Standing alone in the hallway, Peter waited. It was the first day the world was trying to have a “normal” day after everything that had happened. School had re-opened, but nothing was the same. Half of the school had aged, graduated, and now were in college, or had families of their own. There were a bunch of new students who had been in middle school before Thanos. And some people were missing, having died in incidents that occurred because of the snap. Car crashes when drivers were dusted, the passengers having no time to get the vehicle under control. Patients who had been undergoing serious procedures, only for the doctor or nurses to disappear. There was so much death in the wake of Thanos snapping his fingers. Deaths that weren’t undone after the Avengers saved the world. Broken and damaged relationships and families.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Peter was lucky he still had his family. He still had Tony, and May, and the Avengers. The only people he was anxious to find out about should be somewhere in Midtown.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Which is why he had gone back. The first week of business and schools opening back up would be a trial run, to see if society was ready. Students could opt out of returning, but Peter needed to know if his friends were okay. He had sent them a text in their group chat, telling them he would be at school. That he would be waiting.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As soon as the message was sent, Peter had turned his phone off, not wanting to see a response from a family member, saying MJ or Ned weren’t coming back. He needed to hope.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">With a quick glance at his watch, Peter noted it was almost nine. Classes were starting late that day, giving everyone two hours to get re-familiarized with the building, and catch up with each other.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Heart heavy, Peter stared down at his feet as people shuffled around him. And then something made him look up. It wasn’t the familiar feeling his Spidey-sense gave him; it wasn’t danger. It was something else, something familiar, and <em>safe</em>. It was the familiar sound of shoes on the tiled floor, a sound he remembered.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Relief flooded through Peter as he spotted Ned walking towards him, looking tired, but <em>alive</em>. They moved towards each other slowly, as if afraid it was a dream. Their handshake was slower than usual, both of them focusing intently on remembering something they hadn’t done in five years. Peter squeezed his eyes tight as he and Ned hugged, relieved beyond belief that his best friend was alive.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Neither of them appeared to have aged, meaning they had both been dusted. They had both been dead for five years, and while part of Peter wished his friend hadn’t had to go through that, the rest of him was thankful they were still the same age. Neither of them had aged without the other.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But they didn’t think about it. They didn’t bring that up. Instead, they smiled at each other.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What’s up, losers?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“MJ,” Peter breathed, turning to find his other friend walking towards them. She, too, looked like she hadn’t aged. So many of their classmates had aged, had moved on. But they still had each other. Without thinking, Peter lunged forward, wrapping his arms as tightly as he dared around her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The anxiety that he was holding in his shoulder loosened. He felt her tense up in surprise, and as he was going to back up, apologize for the sudden hug, since he knew she wasn’t big on physical affection, she surprised him by hugging him back.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Peter willed the tears that were starting to form away. He would have time to cry later because everything was so overwhelming, that his senses were still too high all the time after coming back, that he was so relieved the people he cared most about in the world were still there.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Alright, you can join.” Peter could almost hear MJ’s eye roll at their friend.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ned joined in a moment later, and for just a moment, all was right in the world.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ned was relieved when his phone buzzed, and he looked down to see that it was from Peter. Anxiety had been buzzing in his veins since it had been announced the schools would be opening back up.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Everything had changed.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The Leeds family had been split; half had been dusted, and the other half had to pick up the pieces. Now, his sister was almost as old as him. Ned’s aunt had gotten remarried three and a half years after the dusting had happened, as it had seemed like everyone was gone for good. She had been happy, but now everything was confusing. Her first husband was back, now. An unexpected consequence.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once Ned was back, and had enjoyed being smothered by his family, he wanted to call Peter and MJ. However, he had no clue where his phone was, and with society still shut down, there was no way to get a new one, until a week ago.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He was thankful he had written down his friends’ numbers on a post-it note, just in case.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The night before he was to go back to school, Ned couldn’t sleep. He had no memories of the war, not like half of his family, half of the world. But there was a haunting ache, deep in his bones. He had died. His dreams were always bordering on nightmares, dark skies and a sense of emptiness. A weight he carried around, unspoken, because he knew how it would make his family feel.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Though Ned hated to think that Peter had died, he hoped they would still be the same age. They had been friends for years. He had been there after Ben had died. Peter had been there when Ned’s grandfather passed away. They stood together, an unwavering friendship. They had both been bullied, but they were able to get through it, because they weren’t alone. And after Ned found out about Spider-Man, their trust only grew stronger. Peter had learned to snark back to bullies, even if it was as his alter ego, and the bullies were criminals. Ned was his guy in the chair, covering for Peter when he needed to.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">For a long time, it was just the two of them against the world.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And then came MJ.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She was full of sarcastic quips and raised eyebrows. On the outside, she was very different from them. The most time they spent together was sitting at the same table at lunch, or decathlon practices or events.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Until the homecoming incident, and she was being welcomed into the duo, making it a trio. It took her time to open up to them, but they gave her the time she needed. In the two years between homecoming, and the first war, they all became close, and she figured out the Spider-Man secret. That was around the time Peter started looking at her different. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Now, everything was thrown off balance. As Ned walked into school that morning, a little later than planned, since his parents didn’t want to let him out of their sight, he wondered. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Spotting Peter made Ned realize things could be okay. They would each have their own fair share of things to discuss, but they wouldn’t be alone. And when MJ joined them, nervous to those who knew her, it felt like something was settling. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Folded into a hug with two of the people he trusted most in the world, Ned felt like he would be okay.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">MJ didn’t trust easily.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She was well aware of it. There weren’t many people she would consider herself to be close to, and that included family. She preferred reading books over going to parties, and observing people from the shadows instead of being the center of attention.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And she was okay, being on her own. She got good grades, and worked hard to get what she wanted. She didn’t let herself think about how nice it would be to have a friend or two.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then, she got dragged (not completely unwillingly) into the mess that was Peter and Ned. For a while, MJ pretend she was at least a little annoyed with them, when in truth, it was freeing in a way she didn’t think it could be. They were both huge nerds, and though they acted offended when she teased them, she could tell they weren’t.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They went from acquaintances and teammates, to friends. Still, she knew they had been hiding something from her. But she didn’t push, just observed. Because they let her open up when she was ready, so what kind of person would she be if she didn’t let them do the same?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">MJ joined them for movies at Peter’s apartment, both her and Ned glad to be out of their apartments for a little. They both loved Aunt May, and she treated them as if they were her own. It was nice, MJ decided. She didn’t think she would ever tell them, but it was starting to feel like family.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">When she found out about Spider-Man, she wasn’t all that surprised. Peter and Ned weren’t as good as keeping secrets as they thought. But with it out in the open, all the secret conversations between the other two faded away. She was just as much part of the group as they were.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She showed them how appreciative she was by snarking back at Flash when he tried to taunt one of them. Whether it was about the Stark internship, or the new Lego set Ned go, MJ stepped in front of her two friends. One thing MJ prided herself on was getting Flash to shut up. She could be intimidating when she wanted to be.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But she still worried. She was human, after all. For the first time in a long time, she had friends, a place where she felt she belonged. She didn’t want to ruin that. So when she started noticing Peter in a different way, she shoved those thoughts aside. She did it well, hiding most of her quick glances and burning cheeks.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then, the war happened. The next thing she knew, it was five years later, and nothing felt right. In the month of recovery, she wondered what had happened to Peter and Ned. She heard about the Avengers, but the news liked to focus on the original team over the rest.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">When she got the text, she was glad to know at least one of them was alive. Something was lifted when MJ laid eyes on them, and she was so relived to not be alone, that she let them draw her into a group hug.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">With unspoken words, both she and Peter agreed that with everything around them changing, and the past month they had to think, they were more like family than anything else.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">MJ let a rare smile find a home on her face as she turned to walk down the hallway with Ned and Peter and her side. Their little family would be okay.</span>
</p>
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